Device for obtaining quantities of molten glass



E. HOPKINSON. DEVIQE FOR OBTAINING QUANTITIES OF MOLTEN GLASS. 7 APPLICATION FILED 0m. 25. 1918. 1,378,460. Patented May 17, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

E. HOPKINSON.

DEVICE FOR OBTAINING QUANTITIES 0F MOLTEN GLASS.

APPLICATION FILED OCT- 25, 1918.

Patented May 17, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- 3] WWW UNITED STATES ERNEST HOPKINSON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

DEVICE FOR OBTAINING QUANTITIES OF MOLTEN GLASS.

Continuation of application Serial No. 42,702, filed July 30, 1915.

. 1918. Serial No. 259,612.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ERNEST HOPKINSON, a citizen of the United States, residin in New York, county of New York, and S tate of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Devices for Obtaining Quantities of Molten Glass, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

i The present invention relates to devices for obtaining molten masses of glass to be subsequently formed into any desiredglass article, and is a continuation of my former application filed July 30, 1915, Serial No. 42,702.

In thedrawings-I have illustrated a construction embodying the invention in which- Figurel is a view partly in vertical section and partly in side elevation; and

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section through the plane 2-2 of Fig. l. 7

Referring to the drawings in detail, 1 designates any form of molten glass container which is provided with a discharge spout 2. A suitable gate or damper 3 may be provided to regulate the discharge from the tank to the spout 2. 4 designates a hood projecting from the front of the furnace and covering a circular receptacle 5 which is provided with a plurality of openings 6 in its bottom through which the glass may be continuously fed into compartments or receivers 7, each of these receivers being provided with a water-cooled closure 8 at its lower end which closure 8 is capable of movement to open the outlet to permit the discharge of the accumulated glass and upon its return movement acts to cut or sever any stream or thread of glass connecting the discharged mass with the body of glass in the receiver 7.

A casing 9 is provided to serve as a reservoir to receive water which flows through the inlet pipe 10 and overflows through the outlet pipe 11, this circulating water being provided for the purpose of cooling the receivers 7. The receptacle 5 and the reservoir 9 are suitably mounted on a shaft 12 which is continuously rotated b any suitable connection to a-continuous y rotating glass forming mechanism 13, the latter being driven in any desired manner as by the belt 1 n the draw g I have showna Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 17 1921. This application filed October 25,

crossed belt 14 for this purpose, suitably sized pulleys being provided, of course, to move receptacles 17 and the compartments or receivers 7 at substantially the same perlpheral velocity. 15 designates movable blocks located inside the receptacle 5, adjacent the outlets 6, each of said blocks being provided with an extension 16 by which it may be positioned to increase or diminish the size of-the outlet opening 6 in order to regulate the" quantity of glass issuing therefrom.

Each knife 8 which acts as a closure to a receiver 7 is provided with an extension 19 and pivoted at 20, the end of the extension 19 carrying a roller 21, which is designed to come in contact with the'cam track 22, provided with a suitable rise and drop surface to actuate the closures or knives 8 quickly. In the drawings I have shown this cam track 22 as secured in position by the brackets 24 and by the'straps 23. 1

On the glass forming mechanism 13 I provide a plurality. of receptacles 17 designed to successively register with and receive the. measured quantities of molten glass from the receivers or measuring devices 7.

In orderto insurethe receptacles 17 following the arc of the circle of the receivers 7 during the period they are receiving the glass, I provide a cam groove 25 inw-lrich work the rods 26 secured to the piston 18. These rods 26 project downwardly through more or lessradial slots 13 provided in the table 13, and coil springs 26, which yield ingly urge the receptacle 17 outward, permit the receptacles 17 being moved when their rods 26 successively enter the cam groove 25.

By the present invention I provide means whereby molten glass may be delivered on the lower portion of the receptacle moving in the arc of a circle to a glass forming mechanism which may be continuously moving. One important advantage of the invention is that the accumulation of the mass of glass which is subsequently discharged takes place in a compartment practically closed to atmosphere, so that there is little liability of the flowing stream trapping air in the process of piling up the molten glass. It will be apparent that both the devices for obtaining the molten masses and the glass forming devices may be given an intermittainer, an arcuately movable receptacle suppliedby said container, a plurality of compartments underneath said receptacle for receiving molten glass flowing therefrom, a series of forming devices having a pivotally movable support, and means for automatically moving the said forming devices in succession toward and from the axis of their pivotally movable support during the arcuate movement of the receptacle to prevent waste in filling the forming devices.

3. In;,combination with a molten glass container, a receptacle movable arcuately about an axis and' supplied by said container, the said receptacle being provided with a plurality of discharge outlets, a plurality of forming devices movable about a common axis separate from that of the receptacle and also radially of their common axis, and means for actuating the forming devices to bring the same successively into register with a discharge outlet and to maintain such register during part of the arcuate movement of the receptacle-toprevent waste in filling the forming devices.

4. A device for supplying segregated quantities of molten'glass to a glass forming mechanism comprising a melting tank, a rotating receptacle, means for discharging molten glass from the tank into said re-' ceptacle, and a plurality of compartments in communication with and' continuously fed from said receptacle.

5. A device for obtaining segregated quantities of molten glass comprising a rotatable molten glass containing receptacle provided with an outlet in its lower portion,

a compartment located under said outlet and 7 In combination with a molten glass container, a rotating receptacle supplied by said container, and a plurality of compartments underneath said receptacle for receiving molten glass flowing therefrom, and means for delivering the accumulated molten glass in said compartments to suitable forming de vices.

8. In avdevice of the class described, a

source of glass supply, a rotatable auxiliary receptacle fed from said source and adapted to maintain a reserve supply of the molten glass, a compartment located underneath, and fed from said receptacle, and means for simultaneously moving said receptacle and said compartment to the point of discharge.

9. In a device of the class described, a source of glass supply, an auxiliary receptacle fed from said source and adapted to maintain a reserve supply of the molten glass, means for rotating said receptacle, a plurality of compartments connected with and fed from said receptacle, and means for opening and closing the bottoms of said compartments.

10. In combination with a glass furnace, a receptacle fed therefrom, a plurality of compartments automatically supplied by the receptacle, means for moving said compartments in an endless path, a plurality of forming devices, means for moving said forming devices in an endless path a part of which at least is vertically in substantial alinement with the path of the compartments, and means for automatically emptying the contents of the compartments successively into the forming devices.

Signed at New York, county'of New York, State of New York, this 24th day of 0ctober, 1918.

ERNEST HOPKINS ON. 

